1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to systems for dispensing more than one viscous material from a pressurized aerosol container. The viscous materials are kept separate from each other during storage inside the container. Each viscous material is dispensed through a separate valve. In use, a single actuator activates each of the valves allowing the separate viscous materials to pass out of the container and to be mixed together in a static mixing device. Additionally, this invention relates to filling machines for aerosol containers using filling heads for multi-valve aerosol containers and aerosol containers having more than one valve. The invention also encompasses static mixing devices and mounting cups and domes for multi-valve containers.
2) Description of the Related Art
Many viscous products are made up of two or more viscous components which must be mixed, in given proportions, only at the time of application. Mixing of the components prior to the time of application will render many such products useless.
The prior art is aware of dispensing single viscous materials such as resins, sealing compounds, dental compositions, adhesives, paints, and the like from single aerosol containers. Also commonly known are methods of dispensing two viscous materials simultaneously from two separate tubes, cartridges, or aerosol containers. In these systems, two separate containers are necessary.
The prior art is also aware of dispensing two viscous materials contained in two separate aerosol containers shrink-wrapped together and equipped with a common valve actuator that is large enough to span both containers and dispense the two materials simultaneously into a common mixing tube. While this permits the administration of the desired ratios of viscous materials, the container is cumbersome and expensive.
Miczka, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,012,951, discloses a system for dispensing viscous materials from a pressurized container. The system comprises a container which is closed at the bottom by a dome-shaped bulkhead and at the top by a funnel, through which dispensing ports are fitted. Inner containers dispense their viscous contents by the internal pressure of the loaded propellant. A venting valve through the funnel controls the dispensing rate. The funnel is made from a thin outer skin, secured to the container by a crimped edge, with inner reinforcing walls to take up the pressure distortion. This device contains two separate dispensing valves with no mention of a mixing tube. The funnel is unique to the container of the above patented device, and is not standard equipment readily available in the art. The valves of this system are separated from each other. Thus, the use of a single actuator would be difficult. No actuator is mentioned by the patent.
The prior art is aware of aerosol containers which allow for the dispensing of two non-viscous materials so that a mixture of the two materials will be sprayed. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 3,992,003 to Visceglia et al, issued Nov. 16, 1976, discloses an aerosol container holding an aerosol propellant and two collapsible bags holding materials which may be sprayed. This disclosure does not contemplate the dispensing of viscous materials and would be unsuitable for this purpose as adequate mixing would not be obtained.
Pressurized aerosol containers are well known in the art. A conventional container contains a single valve and a single outlet opening. Such containers may dispense a mixture of the product and the propellant or may have the product and the propellant in separate compartments within the container. In either case, activation of the actuator by the user causes the propellant to force the product out of the outlet opening. The filling and pressurizing of such a container involves a possibility of various steps. Conventionally, filling of a compartmentalized container is performed as follows: one collapsible compartment is placed inside the container and filled with the substance to be packaged and dispensed, the container is sealed by crimping either the valve or the flange carrying the valve, and a propellant medium is introduced into the other compartment in the container by means of a hole which is provided in the bottom of the container and sealed by an impermeable rubber stopper through which a hollow needle is passed in order to perform filling or pushing pressure against the rubber stopper into the can and then self sealing.
In some instances, the container is first charged with the propellant. Filling the pre-charged container with the aerosol product may be accomplished with an automatic system used in high volume applications, which meters a pre-selected amount of product into the container, or with a manual system. Regardless of which system is used, usually depending upon volume, the apparatus typically includes a container-holding means spaced below a reservoir for holding the liquid product. A valve which is mounted in the cup of the container is brought into engagement with a reservoir outlet, and liquid flows from the reservoir through the valve and a downwardly depending dip tube, and then into the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,666 to Michaels, issued Dec. 7, 1976, discloses a method of pressurizing an aerosol container containing a liquid product by providing a dispensing assembly loosely positioned on the rim of the top of the container, evacuating the air from the container, raising the dispensing assembly from the rim, introducing a propellant gas under pressure into the container, and attaching the dispensing assembly to the container. The dispensing assembly is attached at a distance above the rim of the top of the container which will cause the pressurizing gas to enter the container at a velocity sufficient to cause intense agitation of the liquid thereby substantially saturating the liquid with the propellant gas in a very short time.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,015,757 to Meuresch et al, issued Apr. 5, 1977, discloses a valve for a pressurized dispenser which dispenser includes a mounting cup, a valve housing, and an annular gasket clamped between the cup and the housing for sealing a discharge passage of a movable valve stem. A clearance space is provided in the cup around the outer marginal portion of the gasket to accommodate the marginal portion when the gasket is stretched during the filling of the dispenser to provide a flow path to the outside of the housing. Spacers are spaced apart around the periphery of the gasket to define the distance between the cup and the housing within which the gasket is clamped, and between which the stretched gasket extends. This arrangement provides for rapid charging of the container with the contents.
Stoody, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,399 issued May 17, 1983, discloses a method of filling and pressurizing an aerosol container. The method comprises introducing a dispensable fluid product into the container, projecting an expansible sac having an open end into the container through its fill-opening, overlapping the open end of the sac upon the fill-opening, introducing a pressurized fluid into the sac, disposing a valve mechanism into the container to overlie the sac's open end, closing the sac and fill-opening for sealing the dispensable fluid within the container and for sealing the pressurized fluid within the sac, closing the container, and extending a communicating means from the valve mechanism through the sac to establish communication between the valve mechanism and the fluid product for isolated passage of the fluid product through the valve mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,452 issued May 20, 1986 to Clanet discloses a method for filling an aerosol container provided with a valve and comprising two compartments separated by a flexible or mobile partition. The substance to be packaged is introduced into a first compartment, this compartment is closed, and a propellant fluid is introduced into the second compartment or produced therein. At the heart of the patented invention is the fact that most of the air in the first compartment is removed before introduction of the substance to be packaged. The substance to be packaged is introduced into the first compartment by means of a metering device without coming into contact with the atmosphere whereupon said first compartment is sealed.
In the method of pressurizing aerosol containers taught by U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,794 issued Jan. 30, 1990 to Banks et al, the method comprises the steps of: providing a pouch having a pressurization system for generating a gas to expand the pouch and produce a predetermined pressure therein, the pouch further having activation means for activating the pressurization system, the activation means being itself activated by the application of a partial vacuum to an outer side of the pouch; inserting the pouch into the container; closing the container; and generating at least a partial vacuum in the container to activate the activation means and expand the pouch under pressure from the gas.
In Pat. No. 5,377,724 issued to Ray on Jan. 3, 1995, an aerosol filling apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a cylinder having a lower aerosol container valve-engaging portion removably mounted to a part of the apparatus above an aerosol container receiving position, a piston mounted in the apparatus, and means to actuate the piston for movement within the cylinder to force liquid within the cylinder through a valve of an aerosol container mounted to the valve-engaging portion. The piston is mounted for movement from a position outside and above the cylinder. The cylinder has an upper open mouth having an inner surface opening outwardly to provide an upper extremity of greater diameter than that of the piston so as to provide a gradually decreasing entry for the piston into the cylinder and to guide the piston into the cylinder.
In the apparatus, the cylinder does not require a liner since the piston engages directly with the cylinder wall and the operator to fit the container and cylinder together and fill the cylinder. The combination of the cylinder and container is then slid into the apparatus and the piston is lowered into the cylinder by means of a powered activator means to force the liquid contents of the cylinder into the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,039 issued to Maier on Apr. 9, 1996 discloses a method for pressurizing an aerosol container. An aerosol container is formed by inserting a flexible liner into the container and holding the closure of the container away from the mouth so that the space between the liner and the container can be pressurized with a gas. The closure is then sealed to the container to close the space and maintain the pressure of gas around the liner which is evacuated to further collapse the liner, by applying suction to a valve on the closure communicating with the interior of the liner. The liner is then filled through the valve with the substance to further pressurize the gas in the surrounding space.
Humm et al. disclose in U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,113 issued Jul. 8, 1997, an aerosol container which has two valves. The first, top, valve is used for distributing the contents and the second, bottom, valve is used for filling the container both with liquid medium and also with pressurized gas. The liquid component is charged first and the pressurizing gas is introduced second. The filling valve independent of the container distributing valve can be adapted to the filling requirements, without simultaneously having to perform another function. Filling through a single valve permits rapid filling and a complication-free link with corresponding filling members.
The filling valve is located on the container bottom. It is appropriately constructed as a pressure valve, which is constructed by mounting the container on a filling connection of a filling device for the delivery of liquid medium and pressurized gas. The upper distributing valve is appropriately undetachably connected to the distributing container. The filling valve is centrally positioned on the container bottom.
Hirz, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,841 issued Apr. 21, 1998, discloses an aerosol container charging apparatus. In operating the invention, the container to be filled is loaded into the apparatus after being coupled with a pumping cylinder body by sliding the body and container horizontally into a receiving zone formed by a slot in a support plate that embraces the cylinder body and restricts it against axial movement. The container is supported with a surface that has a predetermined spacing from the cylinder body support plate that accommodates a particular size of container with adequate vertical clearance to ensure proper reception of the container into the apparatus. At the same time, the container support surface and cylinder body support plate assure that the container and cylinder body remain coupled during the pump operation when a piston is manually driven up and down in the pump cylinder.
In the method of filling aerosol containers disclosed by Fasse et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,965 issued Nov. 11, 1998, the filling apparatus for charging a pressurized aerosol container utilizes a male injector filling device depending from the liquid reservoir in conjunction with a female valve of the container. The filling system uses a support means for the aerosol container, including means for selectively positioning, or raising and lowering, the support means between a container non-filling position and a filling position; a liquid reservoir spaced above the support means; and means for selectively drawing liquid from the reservoir into the container when in a filling position. In accordance with the patent, the improvement utilizes a filling apparatus or filling injector comprising a substantially cylindrical housing, which extends from the reservoir, and has an open-ended, axial bore for liquid communication with the reservoir. Valve control means includes a valve housing disposed in the axial bore of the cylindrical housing, and the valve housing has a central opening in liquid communication with the axial bore. A hollow injector pin extends longitudinally from the valve housing and is concentrically arranged with the opening of the valve housing, and the injector pin terminates with at least one aperture. Suitable means, such as a locking nut, retains the valve control means in the axial bore of the cylindrical housing. The valve control means is biased to a closed, no-filling position, and establishes liquid communication between the reservoir and the container when the container is in a filling position. The injector pin is adapted to be received by the female valve when the container is in a filling position. Thus, when the container is brought to a filling position, the valve control means is opened so that liquid will flow from the reservoir and through the axial bore of the cylindrical housing, the valve control means, the female valve of the container, the dip tube depending downwardly from the female valve, and into the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,283,171 issued to Blake on Sep. 4, 2001 discloses a method of filling an aerosol container which comprises: crimping, in a sealed relation, an aerosol valve to the pedestal portion of a mounting cup; clinching, in a sealed relation, the mounting cup to the bead of an aerosol container, thereby providing a hermetically sealed aerosol container when the aerosol valve is in the closed position; disposing on the valve stem an aerosol actuator which is larger than 15 mm in diameter and which has a means for sealing the actuator on the pedestal and which has propellant filling passages through it; advancing a propellant filling head toward the actuator and thereby sealing the filling head on an outside surface of the actuator and sealing the actuator against the pedestal portion of the mounting cup; and charging propellant through the filling head.
The method of filling an aerosol container with a liquid to be dispensed and a pressurizing gas taught by Runge et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,332,482 issued Dec. 25, 2001 involves presenting an open-topped aerosol container having a closed bottom and a piston; deforming the upper end of the cylinder inwardly and flanging the edge; filling the container below the piston with pressurized air through a needle above the container; attaching a mounting cup and valve; and filling the container above the piston with the liquid to be dispensed.
As can be seen, a need exists for improvement in simultaneous pressurized dispensing of multiple viscous materials from a single container. The object of the present invention is to provide improvements in this area. There is also a need for an improved filling of multi-valved containers. This invention addresses that problem. This invention also introduces mounting cups which eliminate a crimping step and, domes which are connected to the actuators, thus eliminating the need for mounting cups.